Ruff Wishing for a hot Summer's blog: "Thoughts for the Day"

Money and women. They're two of the strongest things in the world. The things you do for a woman you wouldn't do for anything else. Same with money. - Satchel Paige

Today is International Disturbed People's Day Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend... just as I've done. I don't care if you lick windows, take the special bus or occasionally pee on yourself... You hang in there sunshine, you're special.

When we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness, and call it love, true love.

Time is Like a River.... You can't touch the same water twice Because the flow that has passed will never pass again So enjoy every moment of your life ..!

Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

The Times January 09, 2007 Actress survives 007 curse to join ranks of the chosen few Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent Eva Green could win a Bafta after appearing in Casino Royal (Paul Rogers/The Times) Being cast as a Bond Girl has sometimes been dismissed as the kiss of death for an acting career, but the latest incumbent has proved that there is life after 007’s final embrace. Eva Green, the little-known 26-year-old actress who is wowing audiences as the femme fatale in Casino Royale, was chosen yesterday by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) as one of five rising stars of cinema. Among former stars of Bond films, Shirley Eaton is generally remembered for nothing more glittering than having been painted gold in Goldfinger, and Barbara Bach and Britt Ekland failed to lure the casting directors after their appearances in The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man with the Golden Gun respectively. In contrast, Ms Green is following in the footsteps of Honor Blackman, the steamy seductress in Goldfinger, and Halle Berry, who played Jinx in Die Another Day, in making her mark as an acclaimed actress. She is already filming her next big role, in the production of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. The award was compiled from names put forward by the thousands of Bafta members — including actors, directors and producers, as well as distributors, casting directors, agents and studios beyond the Academy. Other nominees for the Orange Rising Star Award — for which The Times is an official media partner — are Ben Whishaw, who appeared in Perfume and Layer Cake; Cillian Murphy, who starred in the award-winning Ken Loach film The Wind that Shakes the Barley; Emily Blunt, acclaimed for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada; and Naomie Harris, admired as the co-lead in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later. Film-makers were asked to pick actors who have broken into mainstream cinema with eye-catching performances in at least one feature-length film. A jury that included the Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella and the actress Thandie Newton then whittled down the list to five candidates. The winner will be chosen by a public text and online vote (www.orange.co.uk/bafta) and announced at the Bafta awards ceremony on February 11. The Rising Star Award was created in honour of Mary Selway, the Bafta-winning casting director who died in 2004. She gave Richard E. Grant his break in Withnail and I. David Parfitt, the chairman of Bafta Film Committee, said: “Promoting and supporting the next generation of talent is essential and this is why it’s important to have awards in place such as the Orange Rising Star Award.” The five rising stars Emily Blunt, 23. Born in London, she shot to prominence through the lead role in the award-winning film, My Summer of Love Eva Green, 26. Born in Paris, she made her debut in Bernardo Bertolucci’s critically acclaimed The Dreamers Naomie Harris, 30. Graduated from Cambridge University then trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her break came as the co-lead in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later Cillian Murphy, 30. Born in Co Cork, came to attention as the reluctant survivor Jim in 28 Days Later Ben Whishaw, 26. Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate, has just filmed I’m Not Here, a portrayal of the life of Bob Dylan

The Seven Wonders.... A group of geography students studied the Seven Wonders of the World . At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World . Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes: 1. Egypt 's Great Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State Building 6. St. Peter's Basilica 7. China 's Great Wall While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:" 1. to touch 2. to taste 3. to see 4. to hear She hesitated a little, and then, 5. to run 6. to laugh 7. and to love It is far too easy for us to look at the exploits of man and refer to them as "wonders" while we overlook all God has done, regarding them as merely "ordinary." May you be reminded today of those things which are truly wondrous.

What comes around goes around He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson." Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me." He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan. After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you." Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson." There is an old saying "What goes around comes around." Today, I sent you this story, and I'm asking you to pass it on ... Let this light shine. Don't delete it. Please pass this on to a friend.